‘No connection’ between man’s suicide and his UK talk show appearance: coroner
By Rob Harris
London: Five years after one of Britain’s most popular yet controversial daytime TV shows was abruptly taken off air following the suicide of a guest, a coronial inquest has ruled there was no “clear and reliable causal connection” between Steve Dymond’s appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show and his death.
The program, inspired by Jerry Springer, first aired on commercial channel ITV in 2005 and ran for 16 series and more than 3000 episodes, attracting at its peak an average weekday morning audience of more than one million viewers. Playing into a political narrative of “broken Britain”, the program showcased a simple but flawed narrative of good vs bad personal choices.
Steve Dymond (centre) and his partner, Jane Callaghan, talk to host Jeremy Kyle.Credit: PA
Kyle, straight-talking but far more combative than his US counterpart, presided over domestic squabbles and teased out as much drama as possible for the audience as families, partners and exes attempted to solve disputes involving issues such as access to children, break-ups, parenting and addictions. Some guests would be required to do lie detector tests or be given DNA results on air.
Even as far back as 2007, a district judge in Manchester had referred to the show as “a human form of bear-baiting”, even saying its producers “should in my opinion be in the dock”. In 2008, a man pointed a loaded gun at his wife’s head a week after recording an episode of the show where he had learnt he was not the father of their child.
In 2014, the UK’s media regulator upheld a complaint relating to the treatment of a 17-year-old girl who was called a “crackhead” and a “silly anorexic slapper” by her older sister on air.
But it all came crashing down in May 2019 after 63-year-old Dymond was found dead. Just a week earlier, he had been filming for the show after being accused of cheating on his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan.
The inquest at Winchester coroner’s court heard that Dymond had been left “broken” and “distraught” after appearing on the show. Unaired clips played in court included Kyle telling Dymond: “Be a man, grow a pair of balls and tell her the goddamn truth”.
He’d also egged on the audience to “boo him” after Dymond failed a lie detector test that was intended to reveal whether he had cheated on his partner.
Another clip featured the 59-year-old presenter asking: “Has anyone got a shovel?” as Dymond attempted to explain why he had been messaging another woman.
Kyle gave evidence during the inquest and denied humiliating his guest, saying he had tried to “de-escalate” the situation, and added that the selection of guests and their aftercare “were not my responsibility, I was the presenter”.
UK tabloid program The Jeremy Kyle Show was taken off-air and suspended indefinitely following Steve Dymond’s death.Credit: ninevms
On Tuesday Coroner Jason Pegg told the court there was “insufficient evidence” that Kyle’s treatment of Dymond was a contributing factor to his death.
“Having considered the evidence carefully there is an absence of reliable evidence that demonstrates that Steven Dymond’s appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show probably caused or contributed to his death. To do so would be speculative,” he said.
“Dymond had a history of a diagnosed personality disorder and mental illness which presented on a number of occasions before any appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show and resulted in Steve Dymond self-harming or displaying thoughts of suicide.”
The inquest heard that Dymond had taken overdoses three times previously. He had also been diagnosed with both a depressive and a personality disorder. Dymond had even rung ITV between 40 to 50 times in “desperate” attempts to become a guest on the show, the court was told, and “insisted” his GP write him a letter saying he was no longer depressed in the weeks before filming.
Pegg did not completely dismiss the role played by the show, though, saying it was “one of a number of factors”. He added: “Whilst possible that the manner of his experience added to his distress, it is not probable.”
Noting ITV’s aftercare support, offered after filming, the coroner said: “Aftercare records indicate [Dymond] was ‘emotionally contained’ and expressed no dissatisfaction towards his treatment during the recording with a plan for follow up CBT [cognitive behavioural therapy] support.”
The inquest had also heard he had left notes to his family indicating his intention to take his own life, with the coroner noting there was “nothing in those notes where Mr Dymond is critical of his treatment by the show”.
Through a legal representative, Kyle – now a host for the Rupert Murdoch-owned internet-only service Talk – said he had been “exonerated” by the coroner’s ruling, allowing his name to be “cleared,” adding the case “had taken a huge toll on him and his family”.
“Out of respect for the family of Mr Dymond and the judicial process, Jeremy has always maintained that it would be inappropriate to discuss details whilst the legal inquest was ongoing, and he has remained steadfastly silent in the face of lies, false accusations and unfair criticism over the last 5½ years,” the representative said.
At the time, Dymond’s death shone a harsh spotlight on the show’s style and raised questions about ITV’s duty-of-care procedures, and roused intense debate here about whether confrontational talk shows had any place on British TV.
It spawned an independent review of the responsibility that TV companies had to protect participants in reality shows, coming after the death of two former Love Island contestants, Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
In a statement, read outside the inquest by one of Dymond’s family solicitors, his son Carl Woolley said anyone watching the clips of the show would see that he was in tears, and spoken to “in the most brutal way” by Kyle.
“The only good thing that came from my father’s death is that The Jeremy Kyle Show is cancelled.”
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can call Lifeline 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au or beyondblue 1300 224 636, beyondblue.org.au.
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